KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Tonganoxie police officer was stripped of his peace officer certification this month following an investigation into traffic stops he made in December 2023.
The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training revoked the certification of Anthony Reyes, who had worked at the Tonganoxie Police Department between March 2021 and January 2024.
In its filing made public this month, commissioners say Reyes was participating in a voluntary department effort that involved officers who were issuing a warning for a traffic infraction to also distribute a gift card.
The gift cards were donated to TPD by a Kansas City-area radio station.
As part of the guidelines for the initiative, officers were told their participation was voluntary and commissioners found that Reyes initially declined.
Other provisions of the effort required that the traffic stop be captured on body cameras worn by officers to help the department conduct audits.
Reyes later requested several gift cards. During the department’s review of his gift card distribution, they discovered that Reyes had “stopped” an employee of a convenience store that Reyes frequented.
The stop occurred in the back of the store’s parking lot. Footage revealed Reyes never activated his lights. The employee’s car wasn’t running and the employee appeared to be outside of her vehicle. The employee told Reyes the keys to the car and her license were both inside the business.
The body camera footage captured a store co-worker telling Reyes, “You could have at least turned the lights on.”
The investigation revealed that Reyes had made stops and given gift cards to two other store employees who were his friends.
When commissioners interviewed Reyes, they alleged he was dishonest in that Reyes said he was ordered by the police chief to give away three gift cards despite knowing the program was voluntary.
The commission found that Reyes “engaged in unprofessional conduct when he initiated traffic stops involving vehicles driven by friends and giving them donated gift cards” and by providing a false statement in the commission’s investigation.
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